Bis research paper number 128 The wider benefits of international higher education in the uk

 
Primary variable: country of origin 
Secondary variable 
Group 1 Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5 Group 6 Group 7
Current 
residency 
Gender 
. 
Level of study 
Subject of study 
HEI type 
HEI location 
Funding source 
Occupational sector 
Level of ‘positivity’ 
Extent of alumni links 
 
Table 2
Schematic sampling matrix 
It was necessary to group very broadly some of these characteristics, to reduce the 
granularity of sampling that would otherwise be required. As a result many compromises 
were made (agreed by the project Steering Group), such as the seven rather broad 
groupings of country of origin, their subject of study and institution type. Clearly it was not 
feasible within 100 interviews to represent every possible permutation of the key variables, 
so pragmatic selections had to be made to interview graduates who displayed different 
combinations of variables, in order broadly to reflect the spectrum of characteristics. 
Different proportions (of the 100 interviews) were proposed for certain main characteristics 
(or groups within them) on the basis of rough approximation to their distribution in the 
overall cohort of non-EU international students in the UK, in particular their (grouped) 
countries of origin, level of study and gender. Hence quite high proportions of the sample 
were sought from China and India, and about 60% would be graduates of taught 
postgraduate courses, reflecting cohort characteristics. For other parameters, the 
proportions proposed were chosen either to shed light on certain sub-populations of 
particular interest or to ensure that the potential range of types was reasonably 
represented. UK-funded scholarship holders were deliberately somewhat over-sampled as 
it was believed they might provide particularly useful stories. Further detail on the rationale 
for selection of the proportion targeted for each characteristic is given in Appendix 1.
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The Wider Benefits of International Higher Education in the UK